Medical visa in Dubai: entry permits for a patient and a companion

How it works, step by step

1. 1

   Ask the hospital or clinic to sponsor you

   Treatment visas are not self-applied. The sponsor — the medical establishment — takes responsibility for processing the entry permit upon the patient's request, so your first move is to confirm the hospital or clinic will act as sponsor.

2. 2

   Choose single or multiple entries

   In Dubai, the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs grants a medical visa for single or multiple entries. If your treatment plan means leaving and returning to the UAE, raise that with the sponsor before the permit is processed.

3. 3

   Collect the patient's documents

   The sponsor processes the entry permit using the patient's paperwork. The letter from the host/sponsor must state the justification for the visit.

   Documents:Patient's passport copyMedical reportA photoLetter from the host/sponsor stating the justification for vHealth insurance
4. 4

   Apply for the companion's visa in parallel

   The General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai grants a visa to a foreign patient's companion. The companion's file is separate and includes a copy of the patient's visa, so the patient's permit needs to be in hand first.

   Documents:Companion's passport copyA photoCopy of the patient's visaLetter from the hospital
5. 5

   Travel together

   There is a firm condition on the companion's visa: the companion must enter the UAE along with the patient. Book the same flight or at least the same arrival — a companion who arrives separately does not meet the condition.

6. 6

   Plan the extension carefully — there is only one

   The companion's visa can be extended only once, and only if a duly certified medical report states that the patient needs to continue treatment and that the companion is needed in the UAE. Ask the treating doctor to prepare and certify that report well before the visa runs out.

   Documents:Duly certified medical report
7. 7

   Check the current fees and processing times

   The official procedure above does not publish amounts or waiting periods, and they change. Confirm the current fee and timeline directly with GDRFA Dubai (gdrfad.gov.ae) or ICP (icp.gov.ae), or ask the sponsoring hospital what it charges for handling the file.

Fees and timelines may change — verify with the official source.

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